86994 ” THE BIG PICTURE: HOW TO PREPARE FOR WAR ” 1960s NATIONAL GUARD NIKE AJAX HERCULES MISSILE

This film is from the TV show called “The Big Picture” which ran from 1951 to 1964 and featured episodes produced by the US Army Signal Corps Army Pictorial Service. This one focuses on the National Guard: what it takes to become a member as well as what a day in the life of a Guardsmen, including manning modern Nike missile systems. It opens with Adjutant General of Tennessee (:09) introducing the film. The setting is in New England and a sign for the “Colonial Inn 1776” is shown (1:36) as well as “The Old Manse” which was home of the Emersons, Ripleys and Hawthornes (1:51) as the area is rich in history. This is the location in which the ‘shot heard around the world’ was fired (2:15) in Lexington, Massachusetts. The subject of the story is shown along with neighbors of the town working on spring cleaning projects (3:15) when he receives an alert call (4:23). Other men of the town also hear the alert and drop whatever they are doing and head to the National Guard’s Nike Ajax site (5:42). Whether or not the alert is for practice or not, guardsmen must arrive promptly and treat it as a real emergency (5:56). The sign for the Massachusetts National Guard control site follows (6:07). Guardsmen are deployed to locations in the area chosen in predetermined plans (6:33) and National Guard uniforms are seen being handed out (6:44) as well as a radio unit tested in the back of a jeep (6:53). At the Massachusetts National Guard launch site, the main character settles into position and over the radio they are informed an unidentified flying craft was spotted on the radar screen and sparked the alert (11:13). Other guards in the area set up at the Nuclear Metals Plant (11:39), to the Concord revisor (11:54) as well as to other missile sites (11:59). Air National Guard jets took off within minutes of receiving the alert (12:08). The film show’s his first night when he reported for a two-hour drill at the armory (12:57). His first guard unit was a tank outfit (13:12) and a stripped-down turret assembly of a tank is seen on the floor of the armory (13:16). Training was conducted in compliance with active army standards (13:25) and new enlistees without previous experience completed six months of active duty training at the army training center (13:31). He had chosen to do training which would allow him to transfer to a Nike Missile site (14:14). There were more than 5,000 Army and Air Guard units in over 2,600 communities (15:28). Guardsmen were trained in all types of climate including over 100 degrees (15:43) as well as in the freezing temperatures of the arctic (15:48). The Eskimo Scouts of the Alaskan National Guard in Fort Richardson, Alaska follow (16:00). They reported on any unusual movements in the Bering Sea and assisted with emergency rescue operations (16:09). The Hawaiian National Guard (16:30) was responsible for guarding the Nike Missile site on Oahu (16:52). Scenes from combat training follow (17:52) and the Guard had 21 Infantry Divisions as well as 6 Armored Divisions. Members of the Air National Guard’s (18:20) defense responsibility lay in interceptor and in tactical reconnaissance. An additional responsibility of the National Guard is to aide in local emergencies and the film turns to the scene of a disastrous flood (18:57) with Guardsmen unloading supplies. They had a dual status of reservists of the US Armed Forces as well as members of the National Guard to their own state (19:29). Many of the men worked full time jobs or went to school in addition to being members of the Guard and they were paid regular Army or Air Force wages for their time (20:40). The first state militia was formed in 1636 in New England, and the National Guard’s creed is read over historical sites and scenes including the North Bridge in Concord during the Revolutionary War (22:02), the militia fighting in Valley Forge (22:15), the scene of British surrender in Yorktown (22:28), the Argonne Forrest (23:06), the beaches of Okinawa (24:08), and the beaches of Normandy (24:19). Scenes of national disasters follow including the Texas City Disaster in 1947 (24:59). Back at the Ajax Missile site in Massachusetts, the men are informed the unidentified blip is a friendly craft whom had gone of course (26:41). Here all the men at the stations are told they may return to normal operations (26:51) and the film concludes as they return home.

This film is part of the Periscope Film LLC archive, one of the largest historic military, transportation, and aviation stock footage collections in the USA. Entirely film backed, this material is available for licensing in 24p HD and 2k. For more information visit http://www.PeriscopeFilm.com

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